Conversations With Writers – Horror and its Sub-genres
PART ONE
Featuring Alex pana
Introduction
I am here today with Alex Pana, an extraordinarily talented lady who works within the writing realm. Alongside being a content writer, Alex is also a teacher in English and Creative Writing, a Horror writer and fan, and just to ensure she doesn’t get too stuck behind her desk (like yours truly), she is also a dog trainer to boot!
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Aside from those incredible credentials, Alex is an absolute sweetheart. And it has been so much fun working with her on this opening Conversations With Writers. So much so, we have planned an entire series for you.
This time around we will be talking about what Horror is, and its sub-genres. All while trying to figure out what it takes to fall into one of these categories. From both myself and Alex, we hope you enjoy this chat between two horror buffs, about horror, as much as we have enjoyed making it.
Alex: I feel like “What is Horror?” is an immense question. There are so many different layers to that answer. Most people only ever see the first layer – which is that horror stories are experiences designed to frighten, shock and disgust us. Beyond that first layer, there’s a whole pantheon of human experiences that many non-horror fans never see, and that’s a shame. Beyond that first layer is where the fun really begins.
When I think “What is Horror?” I think of being a teenager. Life was… pretty awful. I found a book, hidden somewhere in the school library, which most certainly wasn’t supposed to be there – it was about vampires and blood and murder and sex. I read it in one sitting and, for a few hours, my reality wasn’t the worst reality in existence. At the end of the book, dawn came and humanity triumphed over evil. I got to experience the rush of that victory, at a time in which there were no victories in my life. It was cathartic. That catharsis, to me, is the essence of all horror. That’s what I want to do when I write a story.
Twisty: I couldn’t agree more with you Alex. I hear so many people complain about a horror if it doesn’t fall into that “Jump-Scare” category. But, there is so much more to it than that, it’s an art form.
Horror for me is about building tension, gripping your reader or viewer, making them believe in what is going on. Seeing things that scare or move them. For instance, when I was a teenager, I didn’t really read. I had been writing since I was nine as an escape tactic from being bullied and chronic nightmares. I turned what scared me into something I could master, take control of, in worlds I created. So, reading felt a bit like I was influencing that.
However, I picked up one of my mum’s favourite books, about a man being drawn into an Alien death game he was almost guaranteed to lose. I read it cover to cover in three days. (It is still on my bookshelf today).
It was my introduction to what Horror could really do. Not just scare you but, put you in that world and make you feel what the protagonist feels. There were no stupid mistakes made by the character like running up the stairs when fleeing a killer, or splitting up because as they say, “Horror has to Horror.” The characters did everything they could to survive, and you were invested.
Not just in them either, the threats were fleshed out and real, they made your heart stop when you turned the page and realised they were close by. It invoked real fear in you because unlike most “Easy Horror” today, it didn’t rely on cheap tricks to frighten you.
Alex: I think you’re so right about “Easy Horror”, and therein lies our greatest problem. Horror is one of the few genres of literature and cinematography which people will simply dismiss entirely: “It’s all worthless.” Not even romantic comedy gets as bad a rep as horror. Because, like other genres, it gets to hold up its shiny examples of higher art and say, “look, we made this”, while horror consistently gets judged by its absolute worst specimens.
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You know the ones I mean, the “Friday the 13’th” group. You said, “running upstairs to flee a killer” and I groaned out loud. I think cheap tricks are exactly what defines the absolute worst of our genre, excessive use of jump scares. Or, if you’re really unlucky, exclusive of jump-scares.
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The use of too much CGI, and painful cliché’s in order to cover up for a lack of actual story. And using porn actresses instead of actual actresses (I wish I were joking).
However, for the sake of being fair, there is a time and place for everything. Even jump scares and CGI can play a valuable supporting role in a horror story.
Lots of people think – “We have all of this technology. Why shouldn’t we use it to make more spectacular monsters?” But the problem is that the monsters aren’t actually better for it.
Twisty: It saddens me that this is the case, that Horror has become a ‘Throwaway’ genre. Once upon a time it was a far more reputable, and sort-after category in literature and film.
The Slasher Horrors were a product of their era, and to be fair to “Friday The 13th” esk films like “Halloween”, Michael Myers was very scary. I say ‘was’, because the first film was a work of art. It talked about the fear that came from being stalked, never knowing who it was or why they were following you. However, like with all successful films (this is not just a problem for horror), it became a cash cow, and with every film after that within the franchise… Well we know how that ends.
CGI and Jump-scares are a real bug-bare to me. When they work, it’s great. My favourite kind of CGI is the kind someone has to tell me it’s there. Little touch ups or smoothing out a practical effect. Fine, go forth and be proud. But having grown up on practical effects, and my first truly horrifying experience coming from the “Grudge”. Which used make-up, very talented actors, and an awesome practical effects crew, (Yes even on the remake). I was spoiled, CGI just couldn’t cut it compared to the real deal.
As for Jump-scares, when earned, they are an incredible tool in a horror creators tool kit. But should be used sparingly, and what is with that BIG announcement sound every-time one happens? Apparently in order to get scared you also have to be prepared to get deaf.
OK, a good example of a Jump-scare for me is the reveal of the “Lipstick monster” in “Insidious”. They had built the tension, gripped you by the throat and let you go without actually giving you a real Jump-scare up to this point. They even played with showing you him several times. Then they do it. (And yes, there’s the loud noise, which is my only issue with it), but it’s perfectly executed, and it moves the story along.
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Something else too many Jump-scares do not do, they’re there just to make you jump and adds nothing else to the plot.
Alex: For those who don’t believe us, I’m just curious, do you remember the first “Alien” movie? Of course, you do. And I don’t want to hear anything about it technically being SciFi – that was a horror movie in space.
People say using practical effects look fake, so here’s a modern example. Have you seen “The Babadook?” I don’t ever get scared by horror movies any more, yet that monster is going to stick with me for the rest of my life. And what was it made of? Puppetry, costumes, stop-motion, and a little post-production to keep it smooth.
The worst offenders of the horror subgenres can be hard to pinpoint, because there are always exceptions. But, I think it’s pretty safe to say that most often, it’s “Teen Horror”, “Found Footage Horror” and “Action Horror” that end up being both box-office hits and miserable messes at the same time. Of course, reigning supreme over all of them, we have “Slasher Films”… But frankly, If I have to watch one more angry man murder teens in the shower, I may end up going on a slasher frenzy of my own.
As for naming the subgenres that are most likely to produce good stories… that’s even harder. The best horror seems to come from a wide array of films and books, many of which are not even officially classed as horror. I’m curious, what about your favourites?
Twisty: It’s funny you brought up the first “Alien”, it was one of the first Horror films I watched growing up, and it’s still one of my favourites. And yes, it is most definitely a Horror, that just happens to be in space.
The practical effects in “Alien” still stand up today and are still far scarier than any CGI I have ever seen. The guy who played the Alien Xenomorph was found in a pub close to the set! He was a professional dancer of all things.
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I laughed when I read each of those sub-genres, as almost all of them were actually spawned, or at least made popular by fantastic films. Found Footage was made by “The Blair Witch”, which love it or hate it, was a revolutionary film for the time it was made. Action Horror had an influx of popularity due to great films like “Aliens”, “Predator”, and “Dog Soldiers”. And we cannot forget the rise of the dead with Zombie films talking to the concerns of mindless consumerism, and oppression. And Slasher Films, actually tied into Teen Horror, which in my opinion were created to either build up self-esteem “Teen Wolf”. Or teach teenagers to conform “Friday the 13th”. “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Halloween.”
The Scene you described; a woman being stabbed in a shower was the iconic scene from Psycho. Which was the origins of Serial Killer Horror, when man became the monster, but that’s for another Conversation.
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What’s happened though is ‘creators’ have ripped off all the tropes from incredible films without using what made them incredible in the first place, in hopes they can make money.
You mentioned “The Babadook”, I did see it and in my opinion, it is one of the best Horror films in recent years. It was a true Horror Drama, which told the story about grief and mental health issues. Using the Babadook as a backdrop. I would argue that “Hereditary” does the same thing, taking real life issues and showing just how horrific it can be.
As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of Horror Drama, I believe it can tell a lot, Psychological Horror is incredible. I loved the Hannibal series on NETFLIX. But, I think people don’t realise that Crime Fiction can be just as horrific. I have read the John Ceepak Mystery’s series at least five times, and they inhabit the best parts of both a Psychological Thriller and Horror Drama, with a hint of dark comedy. – What do you think showcases the best of the genre?
Alex: I’m starting to realize how strange and confusing this all must sound to non-horror fans. That’s the other funny thing: In horror, when we say “There are exceptions”, boy do we mean it. You’re absolutely right, every single one of these sub-genres that have produced loads of trash have also produced absolute masterpieces. And whatever sub-genre I might name as my favorite will have, for sure, thousands of examples of cheap and awful trash.
This must be part of the reason why some people avoid horror entirely: It’s impossible to get into except by accident. You’d need a map. You’d need a guide. Unless you have someone next to you telling you exactly which steps to take, you’ll get lost. All it takes is three bottom-of-the-barrel movies in a row and that’s it, you’ve soured yourself to the genre forever.
And then, just to add to the confusion, there are certain movies which horror fans can’t even decide whether they love or loathe. These are often called “Cult classics” and have a “cult following” because a small collective of horror fans will worship them, and everyone else won’t understand why. One such movie that comes to mind is “Hellraiser”. I could give you a million reasons, off the top of my head, of why this is an awful movie. Do thousands of people adore it? Yes, myself included. Can I explain why?… Not even a little bit. Wouldn’t even try.
Whatever we try to define, you can be sure that somewhere out there, a horror fan will completely disagree with us. That’s what makes horror beautiful – different bits move different people. Somewhere out there, there’s a guy or gal thinking “You ladies are nuts. Jump scares are THE BEST. They remind me of that one time when I was a kid and the closet door opened and there was a peal of thunder...” Or “You know what, bloody gory zombie movies are the best because they’re actually about the human spirit...” And that’s magnificent! That’s beautiful. In fact, I hope they reach out to you in the comments or to us on Twitter and tell us how nuts we are and how much they love… whatever they love about horror. That’s what we need, more people talking about why they were moved and changed by horror.
For me, It’ll always be the Haunted House story. That’s something that falls on the thin edge between “Psychological Horror” and “Supernatural Horror”. I can already feel the masses of horror fans groaning at this statement because it’s probably their least favorite genre and they’re sick to death of it. I can’t help it though, it does things to me.
It makes me feel things on levels so deep below fear that they can’t even see fear’s shadow. I love the delicate, almost romantic touch that Shirley Jackson uses in giving a physical place life and spirit – in “We Have Always Lived In The Castle” and “The Haunting of Hill House”. I love how she makes me question whether there is any haunting at all other than the haunting of the human mind. Because of her, when I walk down the hallways of my own house, of my own dark thoughts, feeling like the ghost myself, I at least have the knowledge that I’m not alone in these feelings.
To answer your question definitively, I think the best of the genre is showcased in the experience of every single individual who identifies with it. That’s where the real horror is, in that shady space between the story and the life of the person reading it.
Twisty: Ok, we will leave it here for now, and will pick it up again on the 1st of June. I am really looking forward to continuing this.
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Ta-Ta for now
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TWISTY